51
The woman was going to drive Jack insane, this was clear as she rode towards the snarl, not away.
Jack had dumped Rhys, Alice and Tosh along with Owen and Billy to pack up her camp while he turned the vessel to skim the ground, following the direction the woman and child had ridden.
"How far?" Hope asked softly, then grunted as the Predis running along the ground told her, catching up to the woman easily and flanking her in case they needed to defend. As she came to a halt, standing in the stirrups of her saddle the first wave flowed over the crest of the hill.
"Mummy?" the child whimpered, pulling in his reins as his horse stared to back up with alarm.
"Oh my god" she whispered to herself, her eyes wide as she watched wave after wave cresting the hill, turning her horse to follow her son who was already riding away from them as fast as he could.
Then he … disappeared.
She pulled on her horse's reins but it was too scared, thumping up a ramp and into the vessel's hold, the ramp clinking behind her and she sat on the horse staring around with shock as a child stood there with shock white hair and a little stick he was leaning on like an old man with a walking stick.
"On board, fly for the camp" Pip said in his little voice, the vessel not registering the sharp turn as the onboard anti-grav worked. Jack was racing for her camp when the door to the flight deck opend and Pip entered followed by the shocked woman and child.
"In three" Jack said as he leaned back, letting Rose take the controls to level the vessel out and lower it to the camp. "One….two…."
"Three" she said as she hit the dirt, the soft thump resonating even if they felt nothing.
"Ramps down" Dean said and then Frank made a noise as he swung around Dean's chair to go help get the other horse and the wagon on board. The child made a nose of alarm and Pip glanced over.
"Don't worry. Frank will get the stuff done, wont you boy?"
Frank grunted, moving past the mother who stood stock still with wild eyes, Jack turning in his chair to watch her motioning with a hand at her side for the child to do that same.
"Yes. Poor eyesight in the bright light. Well … the London ones from the dark sewers" Jack agreed "Seen Weevils before have you?"
She looked over at him and let her breath out "Yes Captain. Hello there. I am Winters. Sergeant Winters. We met…"
"The doctor crashed the one and only car he ever stole" Jack smiled "I remember you. You were much younger, no more than twenty? Gods, your hair was so short then. Almost twenty years ago? Like one of the men. Look at it now, lovely an lush."
"I should have known" she laughed weakly "You survived. This is a ship. You have a ship."
"All pirates do" Dean said without looking back, then added "Tum? Burn?"
"We are here" the twins entered and the woman was taken with their rare beauty as they stood hand in hand.
"Your … your brother is named the same as your dog thing?" the boy asked.
"I am not a dog thing!"Burn frowned "I am Wolfling. We are a different thing all together, closer to a wolf. Hence… wolf….ling."
"Where are you taking us?" Winters asked not wanting to hear the rest of the potential exchange, now seeing that she had gone from the frying pan to the proverbial fire.
"Home"
She spun to see a man in a three piece suit, like he had stepped from a Gentleman's Store, his hair pertly styled and a small pot belly that the waistcoat seemed made to hug.
"And you are?"
"That's my husband. Ianto" Jack said happily "The other parent to our children here. Gorgeous, isn't he?"
"Wait… where the hell did that suit come from!" she asked with confusion "I've not seen a man in a suit for…. Oh my god."
"Jack likes my suits" Ianto smiled "I mostly choose them for his pleasure."
"Where are we going?" she asked him, sensing he was not one to lie.
"We are taking you to our home base. To our village. Clearly you need a moment or two. We will not dump you in the middle of everything, put you in a homestead nearby so you can have a few days to rest, sort out how you feel and we can decide if we want to invite you in or offer you help to move on."
"Move on" she repeated "Like … a bullet?"
"No" Ianto seemed genuinely amused "As in … supplies and a map ya divvy!"
"Oh my god, I've not been called that in … so long. My sister used to …" she became quiet and Ianto nodded knowing memories can sometimes mute you with their emotion.
It was time to go home anyway.